Posted on 11/19/2004 8:37:04 AM PST by knighthawk
MOSCOW - Authorities have arrested a man from Chechnya on suspicion of involvement in the slaying of Paul Klebnikov, the American editor of Forbes magazine's Russia edition who was gunned down outside his Moscow office in July, according to a media report.
A Moscow court sanctioned the arrest of Musa Vakhayev, 40, a resident of the Chechen town of Urus-Martan, the Interfax news agency reported Friday, citing an unnamed source in the court. Authorities must charge Vakhayev within 10 days or release him, according to the report.
The killing of Klebnikov, 41, compounded concerns about the safety of journalists in Russia and about the violence often used to settle scores. The Committee to Protect Journalists has listed Russia as one of the world's 10 most hazardous countries for reporters.
Speculation on the motive has focused on Klebnikov's writing about the Russian business world. In the spring, Forbes published a list of Russia's 100 richest people, which could have drawn unwanted attention to people sensitive about the sources of their wealth.
But some commentators have said a Chechen link also was possible, pointing to Klebnikov's book based on his interviews with Khozh-Akhmed Nukhayev, a former deputy prime minister in the Chechen separatist government. The book was published last year.
Two other Chechen men previously were arrested in the Klebnikov case, but the daily newspaper Izvestia reported Friday they no longer were suspected of involvement. Authorities said that despite initial suspicions, a gun seized from the men was not the one used in Klebnikov's killing, Izvestia reported.
Ping
This stinks.
I was in Moscow at the time and everyone said he was killed for publishing a list of Moscow's richest men.
Looks like the real perp will stay free.
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